Meet Miss Belle

Faithful readers know that TheBeerLady is fascinated with the stories behind the cocktails. There are cocktails that may or may not be named after a famous personage, cocktails created for contests, classic cocktails with long and storied histories, recent inventions that became instant classics. There’s probably more than a few cocktails with stories better than the cocktail itself.

And then there’s Miss Belle. Her genealogy isn’t just murky, it’s downright non-existent. Like many drinks in the current something-tini craze, she’s served ‘up’, but other than that, there’s no resemblance to the Martini. There are other ‘belle’ cocktails, but Miss Belle isn’t a variation of cocktails like the Southern Belle or the Wedding Belle. Unlike modern classics like the Cosmo, there aren’t competing bartenders clammering to take credit.

Yes, her origins are obscure. Luckily, when it comes to cocktails, a good story is just an added bonus, not the main event. Grand Marnier and chocolatey crème de cacao is always a yummy combination, and dark rum is a nice warm kick. Delicious!